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Web Hosting FAQ's

What is web hosting?

The Internet is made up of a large network of single computers all connected together. Every website you visit is hosted on a computer someplace in the world. Usually these web sites are hosted on what is known as a server. A server is nothing more than a larger, stronger and more powerful personal computer, with special capabilities built in (like redundant power supplies and back-up hard drives). These web servers are commonly called "hosts". Though not required, generally these "hosts" are connected to the Internet 24 hours a day by at least one high speed dedicated connection. The main purpose of these "hosts" are to serve html pages (web pages). A web page normally consists of text, graphics and links to other pages. So in english web site hosting is nothing more than placing your web pages on one of these servers.

Why do I need Website Hosting?

As we stated in an earlier FAQ on this site. The most popular question we receive is why can I not use my 'Free' hosting provided to me by my Internet Service Provider (ISP). Our answer to that is, "You Can", but keep in mind that many ISP's do not allow for business to host on that 'Free' space. Also keep in mind that that space may not be professionally managed. Since it is provided to you free they are under no obligation to keep that space up and running. Your ISP may not allow you to use your own domain name either. Website hosting is essential to the very success of your website. Most all successful web sites are hosted using their own domain names. Website Hosting provides your customers, friends, and colleagues with the ability to access your web pages on the Internet. It also provides you the ability to send and receive e-mail worldwide using your domain name. By owning your own domain name you will be able to keep your domain name (for example, http://www.yourname.com) and e-mail addresses permanently (for example, sales@yourname.com). You cannot do this using the popular commercial online services such as AOL, Compuserve, Earthlink, Geocities, etc. because once you leave these services you lose your e-mail address and website address and all your hard work. It's something they don't tell you. With our Website Hosting Service you KEEP your website address and e-mail address for as long as you want it.

You stated that you are a reseller of services, do you have experience with the computer system(s) that my web data is stored on?

Our senior system administrator has over 15 years experience in system administration of Unix systems (SunOS, Solaris and Linux), and over 11 years administration experience in DOS/Windows based systems (Win 3.0 - Windows NT 4.0, 2000 and 2003). This means that you will always have a technician on hand via email 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Anything else would not be acceptable. If there is ever a problem that we can not fix, we have a direct connection to the NOC.

What type of Web/Internet experience does your staff have?

Our hostmaster has been working the Internet, before it was the Internet (since the military is one of the founding fathers of the Internet, and it was in use within the military before it became popular in the real world). We make every effort to keep on top of the latest fads and technologies. Our webmaster also works for the Government as a senior network and systems engineer.

What hours are you open for technical support questions?

We are open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for email technical support. Anything else is not acceptable. We also offer limited phone support. We have yet to have ticket that could not be handled in a very reasonable amount of time via email.

My Internet provider gave me free web space, why can I not use that space for my web site?

Here comes the answer you never thought you would hear. You can, just remember that most ISP (Internet Service Providers) don't allow for businesses to use that space. If yours does, give it a try. We would be more that happy to design your page and or site for you when your ready.

How can I check my account information?

Your control panel will have all the information about your account, including number of email accounts, amount of disk space available, the current bandwidth usage for your account, etc.

Is there a minimum time contract/commitment?

Not on our SWS1-SWS6 accounts, you can also cancel at any time (see the Acceptable Use Policy for policies regarding this).

How soon will my account be set up and ready for use?

Your account will be set up within 24 hours. Your site can be uploaded to our servers immediately after receiving the welcome email, which will contain the IP address for your account, plus the password for the username chosen during sign-up. In fact, we recommend that clients start uploading their site as soon as possible after setup is complete, so that once domain transfer is completed, the site will be available for use by your visitors. It will take up to 72 hours for the domain name transfer to be completed (this is standard for all hosts).

Do I have access to update my site 24 hours a day?

Absolutely, whether you're a day person or a night owl, your site is available for you to update.

Can I upgrade my plan or features later?

You can purchase new or expanded features, or upgrade to a new plan by simply submitting a support ticket. There is no set up fee for upgrading.

Do you offer a money back guarantee?

Yes. If for any reason during the first 30 days as a Simply Web Services customer, you are not completely satisfied with any of our services, we will cancel your account and refund your money for that month's service.

What do I need for web site hosting?

If you plan on hosting your web site yourself on your personal computer. You will need to be aware that there are several negatives about doing this. Technically it is very easy to setup and run, but logistically it can be a nightmare. First you will need a fast dedicated connection to the internet. You can technically run the web site via a dial-up connection (modem) but your ISP will not be happy and will most likely drop your service. You will also have the risk of having someone hack into your personal computer running your website and not only crashing your web site but also crashing your computer. We offer consulting services to provide this should you desire to go this route.

In order to have a website "hosted" (on a remote server), you will need to register a domain name and sign up with a web site hosting company. Simply Web Services can provide you with both of these and many other web services.

How long does it take for a new website hosting order to be processed?

In most all cases Simply Web Services can have your account setup and ready for you to upload files in under 24 hours. This does not however include registering your domain name via the InterNIC and populating it through the DNS which can sometimes take upto 72 hours.

What are the advantages to using Simply Web Services?

Simply Web Services is committed to providing each of our customer with the best possible Customer Service available. Since we are not a large hosting service, you will never be treated like a number.

Can my website be found worldwide with or without the "www" ?

Yes, the non "WWW" domain name will look like: http://mydomain.com. This is added to your existing http://www.mydomain.com account. This means that your visitors can get to your site by http://mydomain.com and / or http://www.mydomain.com. Simply Web Services does not charge for this feature like other hosting companies do. Anything else would be unacceptable.

Are there any restrictions to the content I put on my page?

We are a family oriented business. we do not allow adult material (X, R, PG-13, Lingerie, 900 Phone sex number) this includes, but not limited to links, phone numbers or addresses to adult material or site containing adult material. In other words, If a child can get from your site directly to an adult oriented site or your site is an adult oriented site, we will allow it to be hosted on our servers. We also do not accept sites that provide, assist, or disseminate any and all information related to terrorism, hacking, phreaking, hate crimes, and/or software piracy.